Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road on Thursday, ending their eight-game losing streak in the Premier League with goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.
Ipswich drops to 17th on 16 and back into the relegation zone behind Wolverhampton Wanderers on goals scored, while Brighton gains a victory and moves up to ninth place on 31 points.
Despite Brighton having a lot of possession, the home team got off to a strong start.
Nathan Broadhead gave Ipswich the first good chance of the match with a shot from beyond the box, but Bart Verbruggen dived down to steer the ball behind for a corner.
Liam Delap, a striker, attempted to score five minutes later from a similar position, but Brighton’s custodian was equal to the assignment and the Dutchman had to be alert once more when midfielder Omari Hutchinson scored shortly before halftime.
Fullback for Ipswich After a well-executed long throw in the 57th minute, Wes Burns had a shot that went just wide, but Mitoma’s goal two minutes later cost the home team dearly for not taking their chances.
Yasin Ayari, a Swedish midfielder, received a sliced clearance and brilliantly passed Matt O’Riley, who set up the Japanese winger for a first-time goal.
As Ipswich reeled, keeper Christian Walton exacted some retribution on Brighton’s Joao Pedro, who was sent off for slamming into him early in the second half, by producing an incredible stop to save his drive from going into the top corner in the 67th minute.
However, Brighton was unstoppable, and in the 82nd minute, replacement Rutter scored from close range to secure the three points and put an end to the visitors’ protracted losing streak.
